Reading Childhood Favorites As an Adult

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anne of Green Gables stood the test of time--was actually surprised at how well-written and funny it was reading as an adult. (Montgomery's other books, not so much...)

Agree that Wrinkle in Time was a bit dull (and my kids were also not at all into it). Similarly, when listening to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with the family on audiobook, I was surprised at how loooong it took for Charlie to actually get to the factory--that was basically the only part I remember from my childhood read lol. I had to basically push the kids to make it to that point (and then DS at least really enjoyed it).

I personally enjoyed reading some of the original Winnie the Pooh books to my kids (again they were not particularly into it), but was struck by how much the writing did not really seem directed to kids--more to adults remembering childhood.

Interesting you say that about Montgomery. Just read Emily of New Moon to my boys and we all loved it. First time I read any of her books.

I went back and read many books in the "Anne" series, some to my kids, and found that there was a bit of a drop off in quality after Anne of Avonlea (even, sadly, Anne of the Island, which was my absolute fav as a girl). I liked the Emily books too when I read them as a preteen, but I was afraid they would be too earnest and precious upon re-reading now. But maybe I should? One of the nice things about Anne of Green Gables is its sort of "double perspective"--it both takes Anne's travails seriously enough to be meaningful to a kid but clearly depicts the humor in many of them (to appeal to an adult).

PP here. It was my first time reading any Montgomery, so I can't compare to the Anne books. I don't think I would have enjoyed reading it by myself, but it was great to read with late elementary/tweens. Lots of funny moments we all enjoyed and lots of the tumult, embarrassment, and growth that comes at that age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mixed-up Files is a terrific book. It totally held up for me and both my kids loved it.

Other favorites from my childhood that I love to reread (and that my kids also loved):

Charlotte' Web
The Trumpet of the Swan
The Little House books
The Melendy books (The Saturdays, The Four-Story Mistake, Then There Were Five, Spider Web for Two)
The Wizard of Oz
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
How to Eat Fried Worms
The Secret Garden
My Side of the Mountain
Harriet the Spy
The Great Brain books
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Tisha
Cheaper by the Dozen
The Grounding of Group Six
The Ghost of Dibble Hollow
Caddie Woodlawn
Just about anything by Beverly Cleary

I'm the Mixed-Up Files fan from above. Totally agree with you about Charlotte and Beverly Cleary books. For Cleary fans, her memoir, A Girl from Yam Hill, is illuminating and beautifully written.

Just wondering . . for those who read Mixed-Up Files and Are You There , God?, did the NYC suburban setting influence your feelings about the books? I grew up in NJ suburbs (kinda -- Princeton), and the Mixed-Up Files felt a lot like my childhood. Less so, Are You There, God?; though the movie brought back a rush of memories.

Hi. I liked Mixed-Up Files because of the art and the mystery and the hiding in a closed building. I guess I liked to speculate about whether it was really possible to avoid detection. Corduroy bear had some similarities and I always liked that book. I also liked the sibling interaction. So nothing to do with the NYC setting. Except it did make me want to visit the Met. I grew up in the Bay Area.

Did not like "Margaret". I thought it was vulgar and didn't find it particularly realistic. My friends and I had better things to do than try to grow bigger boobs. Also my mom gave it to me as a didactic book.

Julie and the Wolves - yuck. Found it depressing and weird. Between the vague attempted SA and eating wolf barf, I couldn't figure out why grownups thought it was so great. Same with Island of the Blue Dolphins, which I think may have gotten "cancelled" for some reason.

[Anonymous]

This Washington Post column, How Anne of Green Gables Got Me Through Grief, made me cry. But it really shows how some of the childhood books we read resonate our entire lives. Warning, it is about a stillbirth.

Gift link https://wapo.st/4sRZ3LS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This Washington Post column, How Anne of Green Gables Got Me Through Grief, made me cry. But it really shows how some of the childhood books we read resonate our entire lives. Warning, it is about a stillbirth.

Gift link https://wapo.st/4sRZ3LS

That was so lovely, thank you. I have the exact same editions of the Anne series as in the opening photograph too. May need to crack open Anne’s House of Dreams.

[Anonymous]

[/b]Just wondering . . for those who read Mixed-Up Files and Are You There , God?, did the NYC suburban setting influence your feelings about the books? I grew up in NJ suburbs (kinda -- Princeton), and the Mixed-Up Files felt a lot like my childhood. Less so, Are You There, God?; though the movie brought back a rush of memories.

[b]Hi. I liked Mixed-Up Files because of the art and the mystery and the hiding in a closed building. I guess I liked to speculate about whether it was really possible to avoid detection. Corduroy bear had some similarities and I always liked that book. I also liked the sibling interaction. So nothing to do with the NYC setting. Except it did make me want to visit the Met. I grew up in the Bay Area.

Did not like "Margaret". I thought it was vulgar and didn't find it particularly realistic. My friends and I had better things to do than try to grow bigger boobs. Also my mom gave it to me as a didactic book.[b]

I'm the first PP above and I also loved the mystery at the heart of Mixed-Up Files. I think it inspired me to love research and libraries. And I agree with you about Margaret. I didn't like the book at all -- in my case, one of the popular girls passed it along to me, which made me realize that the popular girls were kind of dull. That said, I would recommend the movie -- even if you're not a Jersey girl. The cast is terrific (especially Rachel McAdams and Bennie Safdie as Margaret's parents, as well as the young actress who plays Margaret) and costumes and set design are excellent. Also, the script does much more with Margaret's mom's career as an artist.

[Anonymous]

To above PP. I think I would rather watch the new series/movie based on Judy Blume's Forever.

Another dreadful book which introduced me to the concept of "skimming for the good parts".

I remain shocked by the part where the boy puts aftershave somewhere where it does not belong.

Okay...maybe someday I'll watch the Margaret movie.

I was just recently pleasantly surprised by the Barbie movie. It surprised me that it was targeted at working moms. That was relatable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mixed-up Files is a terrific book. It totally held up for me and both my kids loved it.

Other favorites from my childhood that I love to reread (and that my kids also loved):

Charlotte' Web
The Trumpet of the Swan
The Little House books
The Melendy books (The Saturdays, The Four-Story Mistake, Then There Were Five, Spider Web for Two)
The Wizard of Oz
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
How to Eat Fried Worms
The Secret Garden
My Side of the Mountain
Harriet the Spy
The Great Brain books
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Tisha
Cheaper by the Dozen
The Grounding of Group Six
The Ghost of Dibble Hollow
Caddie Woodlawn
Just about anything by Beverly Cleary

I'm the Mixed-Up Files fan from above. Totally agree with you about Charlotte and Beverly Cleary books. For Cleary fans, her memoir, A Girl from Yam Hill, is illuminating and beautifully written.

Just wondering . . for those who read Mixed-Up Files and Are You There , God?, did the NYC suburban setting influence your feelings about the books? I grew up in NJ suburbs (kinda -- Princeton), and the Mixed-Up Files felt a lot like my childhood. Less so, Are You There, God?; though the movie brought back a rush of memories.

I'm the PP you quoted. No, I grew up in rural New England in the 70s. The first time I visited NYC was in college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I read plenty of the classics when I was a young, but most of my favorite books were what I would consider light reading today.

As a young boy, I loved all the Gordon Korman books from the "MacDonald Hall" series to my favorite "I Want to Go Home". I'm not sure I would really enjoy reading those again today. I'll keep the memories though.

I did not know Gordon Kerman’s books, but my husband is a big fan! He read a couple with our kids and they found a movie version of Swindle (with a young very famous actress). Looking online there are other movie versions, too. That sometimes inspired our kids - read the book then we can watch.